Improving Data Privacy with Microsoft 365

Nowadays, data is more than just a company’s valuable asset – it’s the lifeblood of some businesses. However, with great data, comes great responsibility. Protecting it should no longer be a task allocated to the IT department; it should be at the epicentre of any business’s overall strategy.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) plays a vital role in safeguarding sensitive information, ensuring that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands – whether that’s due to accidental sharing, malicious intent, or external cyber threats.

When it comes to DLP, Microsoft offers powerful, integrated tools that make protecting your data more manageable and more efficient than ever. In this article, we’ll walk you through the essentials of DLP and how Microsoft 365 can help safeguard your business's sensitive information.

What is Data Loss Prevention (DLP)?

Data allows people and the businesses they operate to make better-informed decisions; therefore, datasets are a precious commodity in the modern business landscape and must be protected at any cost.

Understanding the Concept of DLP

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) could best be described as a security guard for a company’s data, ensuring that no one accidentally or intentionally steals or shares private information. Examples of data could include customer details, passwords, and company secrets—all of which, if compromised, could result in irreparable reputational ramifications and financial damage.

Proper DLP processes are even more important today, given the ever-increasing compliance requirements such as the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Cyber Essentials.

GDPR compliance requires UK-based businesses (as well as EU organisations) to implement specific measures, including protecting personal data (customer addresses/payment details) and tracking how they handle sensitive data with the help of DLP auditing and reporting tools.

Suppose a business based in the UK wishes to achieve a Cyber Essentials accreditation. In that case, it’ll have to prove it’s competent in controlling and protecting sensitive data, which is a key aspect of cybersecurity. For more information regarding Cyber Essentials accreditations and the lengths needed to fulfil them, please check out this blog post by our Technical Alignment Team Manager and resident cybersecurity expert, Dave West.

Common Causes of Data Loss

Data is a precious commodity in today’s business landscape, so it can be lost or stolen in various ways. Let’s take a look at some of the most common causes of data loss:

Accidental sharing of sensitive data

Accidents happen. Emails can be sent to the wrong person, documents can be uploaded accidentally, and business-critical information may be shared innocuously. Mistakes are a part of life, so expecting an organisation to mitigate every instance of accidental data sharing is unrealistic. However, these accidents can be reduced by educating employees and implementing robust data protection policies.

Malicious insider threats

Not every person working for an organisation has good intentions. Some employees or contractors may leverage their access to steal, leak, or damage sensitive data or company secrets for personal gain. This type of data loss is more complex to mitigate as it involves trusted individuals. However, implementing strict access controls, monitoring systems, and fostering a culture of security awareness can help reduce these risks.

External cyber threats (e.g., phishing, ransomware)

External cyber threats tend to be the type of data loss that comes to mind when you think of DLP. These threats typically attempt to infiltrate a company’s systems to exfiltrate business-critical data and information (customer data, financials, etc).

Fortunately, robust measures can be implemented to reduce the likelihood of cyber attackers accessing your company data, such as implementing strong access controls, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and endpoint security solutions. Additionally, employee cybersecurity training can help staff recognise phishing attempts, while advanced email filtering and threat detection tools can prevent malicious attachments or links from reaching inboxes.

Key Benefits of Implementing DLP

Implementing data loss prevention (DLP) strategies doesn’t just help mitigate common causes of data loss - it provides several other critical benefits, including:

• Improved Visibility & Control Over Data Movement: With real-time monitoring and data movement tracking, organisations gain a clearer understanding of how data flows across their networks, endpoints, and cloud environments. This improved visibility makes identifying and addressing security risks easier, ensuring anomalies or suspicious activity are detected and resolved swiftly.
• Stronger Incident Response & Recovery: DLP solutions enable instant detection of suspicious activity, reducing the impact of data breaches and accelerating response and recovery efforts if an incident occurs. By identifying threats in real time, businesses can act quickly to contain and remediate potential breaches before significant damage is done.
• Enhanced Security for Cloud & Remote Work Environments: Securing data across cloud platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Drive is essential with remote and hybrid working models now commonplace. Forbes Advisor recently reported that 63% of UK employees work remotely at least some of the time, highlighting the growing need for DLP measures that protect sensitive information in cloud-based and remote work settings.
• Prevention of Data Breaches & Unauthorised Access: DLP measures prevent data breaches and unauthorised access, both of which can cause a whole host of issues for any business. The key benefit here is that accidental and malicious data leaks are identified and blocked before any damage can be incurred.
• Ensure Compliance with Regulations (GDPR, Cyber Essentials): Failing to comply with data protection regulations like GDPR and Cyber Essentials can result in hefty fines, legal consequences, and reputational damage. Implementing DLP ensures that businesses adhere to these regulations, reducing legal risks and reinforcing customer trust in their data security practices.

How Microsoft 365 Helps with Data Loss Prevention

At Netitude, we’re big advocates for Microsoft 365 products. As Microsoft Gold Partners, we know that when used correctly, the tools on offer can enhance productivity, increase collaboration and improve security.

In 2024, I became a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, and as Netitude’s resident Microsoft expert, I feel like I’ve got the knowledge and the know-how to pass on some expertise when it comes to bettering a business’s DLP approach with Microsoft 365 tools.

Overview of Microsoft Purview DLP (Formerly Office 365 DLP)

As businesses increasingly rely on cloud-based collaboration tools, protecting sensitive data across Microsoft environments has never been more critical. That’s where Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) comes in.

Formerly known as Office 365 DLP, Microsoft Purview DLP is an advanced security solution designed to help organisations identify, monitor, and protect sensitive information across Microsoft 365 apps, endpoints, and third-party services.

What Does Microsoft Purview DLP Do?

Microsoft Purview DLP enables organisations to:

• Prevent accidental or unauthorised data sharing by applying policies that detect and block the transmission of sensitive information.
• Monitor data activity across Microsoft services, including Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and devices.
• Ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR, Cyber Essentials, and ISO 27001 by enforcing data protection policies.
• Respond to security risks in real-time through automated alerts, encryption, and access restrictions.

How Has It Evolved from Microsoft 365 DLP?

Office 365 DLP was originally limited to monitoring and protecting data within Microsoft 365 applications. However, with the shift to Microsoft Purview DLP, its capabilities have expanded significantly, allowing businesses to:

• Extend DLP policies to endpoints (Windows/macOS devices) to prevent sensitive data from being copied to USB drives or shared externally.
• Protect non-Microsoft cloud applications (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox, Salesforce) using Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps integration.
• Gain deeper insights with AI-driven data classification to automatically detect and label sensitive data based on context and industry-specific regulations.

With these enhanced capabilities, Microsoft Purview DLP goes beyond traditional data protection, offering a holistic approach to securing sensitive information across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

How to Get the Very Most Out of Microsoft 365 DLP

To maximise the effectiveness of Microsoft Purview DLP, it’s essential to implement best practices and leverage all the features it has to offer. Here’s how businesses can get the very most out of Microsoft 365 DLP:

1. Establish Clear Data Protection Policies: Begin by defining what constitutes sensitive data for your organisation. This might include customer data, financial records, intellectual property, or even internal communications. With Microsoft Purview DLP, you can set policies that automatically detect and protect these data types, ensuring they are handled appropriately.
2. Use Predefined DLP Templates and Create Custom Rules: Microsoft offers a range of predefined DLP templates tailored to specific regulatory requirements, such as GDPR and Cyber Essentials. You can also create custom DLP rules that match your business’s unique needs. These rules can help control where sensitive data can be shared, who can access it, and under what circumstances.
3. Monitor Data Activity Continuously: Real-time monitoring is key to DLP. You can gain insight into how your sensitive data is accessed, shared, or modified by enabling alerts and reporting. This allows you to respond swiftly to potential security incidents before they escalate.
4. Educate Your Employees on Data Protection: While technology can automate much of the DLP process, employee education is vital. Microsoft 365 includes built-in tools that provide real-time user notifications when a policy violation occurs, helping employees understand the importance of following data protection guidelines.
5. Leverage Integration with Microsoft Defender for Cloud: Microsoft Defender for Cloud’s deep integration with Purview DLP extends protection across cloud services and endpoints. Linking your DLP policies to the broader security infrastructure ensures comprehensive coverage for all your sensitive data.
6. Regularly Review and Update DLP Policies: Data privacy laws and business needs evolve, so reviewing and updating your DLP policies is important. Microsoft 365 makes it easy to adjust policies based on changing regulations or new types of sensitive data that emerge within your organisation.

Closing Thoughts

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is more than just a best practice—it’s a necessity in today’s data-driven world. As the landscape of data threats continues to evolve, so too must our strategies for safeguarding that data. With Microsoft 365, businesses gain a robust suite of DLP tools that help protect sensitive information and streamline compliance with data protection regulations. By implementing Microsoft Purview DLP and following best practices, you can ensure that your organisation’s data stays safe, compliant, and out of harm’s way.

For businesses of all sizes, a proactive approach to data protection is the key to safeguarding their reputation, customers, and future. With the right DLP strategy in place, they can mitigate risks, prevent data breaches, and build trust with their clients and stakeholders.